What is Cardiac Arrest?

A cardiac arrest is also called a cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest and indicates a sudden stop in effective and normal blood circulation due to failure of the heart to pump blood.

Cardiac arrest is different from myocardial infarction or heart attack but may be caused by a heart attack. When the blood flow to the heart is stopped due to narrow or obstructed coronary arteries, a heart attack occurs. This may lead to a cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest.

What happens in cardiac arrest

  1. Once the usual blood circulation stops, oxygen delivery to all vital organs is also stopped. The organ that is the most quickly and severely affected by this is the brain. The patient loses consciousness and breathing is shallow and minimized. If the cardiac arrest persists for over five minutes, permanent brain damage may occur.
  2. The pulse that is usually seen in the carotid artery in the neck as well in the wrists and ankles is lacking.
  3. Cardiac arrest may lead to sudden cardiac death or SCD. Heart attack is an important cause of SCD.

Causes of cardiac arrest

Some of the most important causes of cardiac arrest include:

  • Heart attack or myocardial infarction (seen in 30% of cases)
  • Cardiac anatomical abnormality
  • Cardiac rhythm disturbance or arrhythmia. The most common fatal abnormal heart rhythm is ventricular fibrillation.
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Sepsis and major infection
  • Drug overdose
  • Major injury and blood loss. Lung or heart injury may also lead to cardiac arrest.
  • Advanced cancer
  • Extremely high or low body temperature
  • Extremely high or low blood level of potassium
  • Severe oxygen deprivation
  • Pulmonary embolism

What needs to be done?

A cardiac arrest is a medical emergency. For every minute that a person is in cardiac arrest before arrival of a defibrillator, the chances of survival are reduced by about 10%. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is attempted along with defibrillation of the heart to try and reinstate the heart's pumping rhythm.

To provide adequate CPR, a person needs to check that:

A = Airways are open by tilting the head back and lifting the chin of the patient

B = Breathing signs can be seen and heard

C = Circulation is attempted with cardiac compression

Further Reading

Last Updated: Jul 6, 2023

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Written by

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Dr. Ananya Mandal is a doctor by profession, lecturer by vocation and a medical writer by passion. She specialized in Clinical Pharmacology after her bachelor's (MBBS). For her, health communication is not just writing complicated reviews for professionals but making medical knowledge understandable and available to the general public as well.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    Mandal, Ananya. (2023, July 06). What is Cardiac Arrest?. News-Medical. Retrieved on October 31, 2024 from https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Cardiac-Arrest.aspx.

  • MLA

    Mandal, Ananya. "What is Cardiac Arrest?". News-Medical. 31 October 2024. <https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Cardiac-Arrest.aspx>.

  • Chicago

    Mandal, Ananya. "What is Cardiac Arrest?". News-Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Cardiac-Arrest.aspx. (accessed October 31, 2024).

  • Harvard

    Mandal, Ananya. 2023. What is Cardiac Arrest?. News-Medical, viewed 31 October 2024, https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Cardiac-Arrest.aspx.

Comments

  1. Guruprasad Panamalai Guruprasad Panamalai India says:

    Very informative article. Thanks.

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Quick defibrillator shocks critical for cardiac arrest survival